TAMPA, Fla. -- The Eagles were two seconds and one yard from ending an eight-game losing streak Sunday. That's when Nick Foles trusted his own talents, his own instincts, his own experience.

Why not? By then, he had already driven the Eagles 63 yards, with only one real secret.

"It was just," he would say, "playing ball."

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The NFL is hardly that uncomplicated, not in December, not on the road against a conference opponent with playoff desperation, not for these Eagles, not this year. But at that moment, down by five points, Foles decided that it would be no other way.

So to the sideline and into a conversation with Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg he would push. There, he would make one request: Let him pass the Eagles to their first victory since the end of September. That, he would do by rolling to his right and finding Jeremy Maclin in the end zone for the deciding touchdown in a 23-21 victory.

Just playing ball, indeed ...

"We were all on the same page," Foles said. "He (Reid) trusted me. When you have a coach that trusts you in that situation, it helps. I said I was comfortable with the play. He said, 'Let's do it.'"

Reid committed to Foles as the Birds' starting quarterback last week, essentially giving concussion-recovering Michael Vick the rest of a fractured season off. It was a move for the moment, but for the future, too.

By Sunday night, Foles had commandeered both.

Trailing, 21-16, with 2:44 left, Foles and the Birds took possession at their 36 with only the two-minute warning as a clock-management tool. That's when Foles would begin a 13-play drive that not only would sturdy his professional stature, but some day could contribute to his legend. Twice, the Birds would have to convert on fourth down. The second time came with 16 seconds left, from the Bucs' 23, when Foles connected with Jason Avant at the one.

A Tampa Bay timeout and that huddle with the coaches later, Foles would add the final yard to his 381-yard passing day, the best ever by an Eagles rookie.

"He made some great, big throws," Reid said. "It looked like he rallied the crew in there and everybody stepped their game up. The O-line had a couple breakdowns in the middle of the game there and he was able to rally those guys or they rallied around him, whichever way it went. It looked like Nick really did well, made good decisions and made big plays."

Despite being sacked six times, Foles completed 32 of 51 passes, tossed two touchdown passes and jogged 10 yards for one of his own. While having made just three starts, he would finish the way with 1,174 passing yards, third most by any Eagles rookie in a season, behind John Reaves and Davey O'Brien. Reaves had 1,508 passing yards in 1972, O'Brien 1,324 in 1939.

He holds the Eagles rookie record with 113 completed passes. But it was the one victory that he would most cherish.

"I'm so excited for my teammates, me, Coach Reid, our organization, our owners," Foles said. "It's just very special, very humbling. It's a great win, too, because we came back. We were winning. We lost it. The team stuck together. There was never a doubt in our minds. It was exciting to get out there and execute."